Almost Amish: One Woman's Quest for a Slower, Simpler, More Sustainable Life [Paperback]

Nancy Sleeth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 9, 2012

Have you ever stopped to think, Maybe the Amish are on to something? Look around. We tweet while we drive, we talk while we text, and we surf the Internet until we fall asleep. We are essentially plugged in and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Rather than mastering technology, we have allowed technology to master us. We are an exhausted nation. No one has enough time, everyone feels stressed out, and our kids spend more hours staring at a screen each week than they do playing outside.

It’s time to simplify our lives, make faith and family the focal point, and recapture the lost art of simple living. Building on the basic principles of Amish life, Nancy Sleeth shows readers how making conscious choices to limit (and in some cases eliminate) technology’s hold on our lives and getting back to basics can help us lead calmer, more focused, less harried lives that result in stronger, deeper relationships with our families, friends, and God.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Almost Amish offers a reminder of the freedom we can uncover through a sustainable lifestyle.

From the Back Cover

Have you ever stopped to think, Maybe the Amish are on to something?

Something is wrong—terribly wrong—about the way we spend our time. We Tweet while we work, text while we drive, and basically stare at our computer screens until we fall into bed at night. We are plugged in 24/7! And it’s not just us. Our kids spend one hundred times more hours staring at a screen each week than they do playing outside—and we wonder why so many children are being treated for ADHD, depression, and obesity-related ailments.

It’s time to simplify our lives—to slow down, make faith and family the focal point, and recapture the lost art of simple living. And what group has kept simplicity, family, and faith at the center of all they say and do better than the Amish?

Building on the core principles of Amish life, Nancy Sleeth explains how making conscious choices to limit (and in some cases, eliminate) technology’s hold on our lives and get back to the basics can help us lead calmer, more focused, less harried lives, resulting in stronger, deeper relationships with our families, friends, and God.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (March 9, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1414326998
• ISBN-13: 978-1414326993
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (98 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #32,650 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After a spiritual and environmental conversion experience, Nancy Sleeth and her family radically altered their footprint, reducing their electricity use to one-tenth and their fossil fuel use to one-third the national averages. Along with her husband, Matthew, Nancy now travels throughout the U.S. speaking and writing about faith and the environment.

Prior to heeding this environmental calling, Sleeth served as communications director for a Fortune 500 company and as a high school and college educator and administrator.

Sleeth is a graduate of Georgetown University and holds a masters degree in journalism. She is the author of Go Green, Save Green: A Simple Guide to Saving Time, Money, and God's Green Earth and Almost Amish: One Woman's Quest for a Slower, Simpler, More Sustainable Life. Nancy and Matthew are the parents of Clark Sleeth, a medical doctor, and Emma Sleeth, author of It's Easy Being Green. Nancy is the Managing Director of Blessed Earth, a faith-based nonprofit focusing on environmental stewardship.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Breath of Fresh Air March 23, 2012

By Wanda Costinak

Format:Paperback

Almost Amish: One Woman's Quest for a Slower, Simpler, More Sustainable Life by Nancy Sleeth is a much needed breath of fresh air. When my children were small I read volumes about simple living in a quest to make life more intentional and less frantic. It worked for a while, but the busyness of everyday life in an active household became too much and the search for simplicity became a distant memory. After moving from a small town to a mega-city, the pace has become unhealthy and I have been looking for some answers. God's timing is perfect and Almost Amish arrived as an answer to my prayers.

Speaking from experience, Sleeth challenges us to simplify in every area of life - in our homes, technology and finances. She then gently encourages us to spend time focusing on what really matters - nature, service, security, community, families and faith. Using the Amish communities as an example, we are given practical examples of how to achieve simplicity in a modern world. No, she does not recommend living "off the grid" and giving up our cars in exchange for horses, but she does show us how to tread lightly on the earth and readjust our priorities to become ones who live a life actively seeking after God and showing him to others through our actions.

Short chapters and a down-to-earth writing style made Almost Amish easy to devour in a day. I have started to ponder the changes necessary to make life less frantic once again and, although it will be a slow process (my daughter informed me that she cannot live without technology), I know that the benefits will far outweigh the sacrifices. I encourage you to slow down enough to read Almost Amish - it just might change your life.

I give this book 5 stars out of 5.

I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

27 of 31 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Even the Amish wouldn't like this book.,.. May 25, 2012

By amazingrace

Format:Paperback

I've always been fascinated with the Amish way of life. I'm naturally drawn to a slower pace, to simpler living. Plus, the cover was super cute and colorful. I thought I would LOVE this book. It didn't take me long to realize two things:

1) This woman doesn't know much about the Amish, certainly not more than what you could find on the internet or in a Beverly Lewis novel. I doubt she's spent much time face-to-face with any Amish people. Her references are vague and sort of forced. It's like she took the philosophy she already had and tried to wrap Amish traditions around it to make it fit the theme of her book.

2) This woman thinks she's the "bees knees" and the "cat's meow." I tried, I really tried to like this book but I could not help feeling a sense of condescension. She just goes on and on about everything she and her husband have done to create this simple lifestyle, to stay out of debt, to live off the land, etc. etc. Funny thing is, I agree with all that stuff!! I already do a lot of it and wish I could do more.

I just resented the impression she gave that she and her husband are doing it for spiritual reasons. Really?? No, they are doing it because they enjoy it! It is a hobby for them, like golf or sailing or scrapbooking is for other people. Has it always been easy for them? No, I'm sure it hasn't. But when you read the stories in her book, you realize that this was sort of their "natural bent" in the first place. It's ok that they get a kick out of this. And it's even ok for them to suggest that others might benefit from it. But to make it into a "thus saith the Lord" is a stretch.

Which leads me to my last point, which is simply this - Scripture is applicable to ALL areas of life, and I do believe that we as Christians have a responsibility to steward the earth. BUT, so many of the Scriptures in this book were used just like the references to the Amish - Instead of coming from an innate understanding of the text, she wraps the verses around her own agenda.

So, why did I give it two stars instead of one? I think she has some good points about technology ruining relationships and the pace of American life taking us away from relationships. I also think that God certainly cares about all of this. I'm just not sure that putting up solar panels and planting an herb garden will be the solution He ordains for every family.

God creates all of us with different "bents" in order to bring about His highest glory. That is why He gave the author and her husband a desire to "live off the grid," while giving my husband (who would never be caught dead composting anything!) a unique drive and talent to create computer software. The author of this book NEEDS people like my husband in order to communicate her unique way of life with the world. I think that is the bottom line is basically this - The book lacks a sense of humility and honesty. It is Green Christianity dressed up in a bonnet and black stockings.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Closer to the Amish than We Think March 24, 2012

By dtalen

Format:Paperback

The Amish is a society that have always intrigued outsiders. While reading Almost Amish, I was surprised by how much I really have in common with them and the way that they live.

Nancy Sleeth and her husband are committed to living a life of simplicity and one that is good for the Earth. In pursuing this, Sleeth has come to realize how much the life she and her family leads is like that of the Amish. The aim of Almost Amish is to show good that can be found in the principles of the Amish life and how those of us who are not Amish can apply these to our own lives.

Sleeth focus on ten different principles that range from keeping a home clean and simple, to knowing your neighbors, the use of money, the importance of family and the importance of faith. She gives the Amish background and examples for each principle and then gives tips on how to be "almost Amish" in our own lives. These are all very practical and simple things that everyone can do with a little bit of effort. The book ends with a selection of recipes that I am eager to try.

As I said, I was surprised by how much I have in common with Amish. We try to live a frugal life and stay out of debt. We don't have all of the latest and greatest toys or technology to distract us (or even a TV for that matter). Family is important and we live quite close to my husband's family. We are famers, so we value the land and what it takes to be a part of producing food for the world. And our faith is the most important thing. I appreciated Sleeth taking the time to show how the principles of the Amish, a people who's way of life can seem so foreign to us, are really ones that many people already live. And if everyone followed them, the world would be a better place. I will continue to go back to this book to try and continue to make my life a little more like the Amish.

I received this book from Tyndale Publishers. All of the opinions are my own.